The Revised Slarella Years
by AnnaRinzler
Summary: A collection of Slade/Arella one shots, each exactly 100 words. Completely revised from the original version.
1. Snow

**Snow**

It wasn't going to be much of a proposal. It was winter and they were nestled in the couch. Arella watched the snow fall outside their window. Slade watched Arella. They suited each other. Both quiet. Reserved. Self-disciplined. But it was more than that.

"I love you."

She turned her head, brushed her lips against his cheek. The kiss accompanied her words. Arella seemed happy. Content. Her body rested easily against his.

"Will you marry me?"

He reached into his pocket. Held up the ring. A blood diamond. She didn't need to know. Arella smiled. Slid the ring on.

"Yes."


	2. Starbucks

**Starbucks**

They sat in the little coffee shop together, looking out of the window at the people hurrying past in the snow. Arella glanced at her husband through her eyelashes. As if reading her mind Slade took her hand and kissed it absently before returning his gaze to the people outside. Arella was always happy that out of the many silences they had, few were awkward.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked finally.

Arella nodded and grinned happily, as she usually did when she thought of their lovely, spacious apartment.

Home.

After all these years, she finally had one.


	3. Monster

**Monster**

She didn't like sleeping much, because sometimes when she slept the nightmares came.

So Arella bolted upright in the darkness and, finding herself alone, ran swiftly into Slade's study. He was sprawled out on the couch, typing on a laptop, but looked up and raised his eyebrows when he saw her.

"Are you alright?"

"No."

"I suppose you had better get over here, then."

She didn't need any further persuasion and Arella and curled up in his lap with her blanket.

"Go to sleep," Slade whispered against her hair, "You don't fear me, so don't fear what's in your dreams."


	4. Suffering

**Suffering**

Five days.

Five _solid _days and Slade was about to jump off the building and not care if he died painfully.

"Slade!"

"Coming," he said wearily, turning around to obey.

He walked back into the bedroom and was immediately grabbed and French-kissed to within an inch of his life.

"Come to bed with me," Arella whispered in his ear, in what had to be the most suggestive tone she had ever used.

"If you insist."

"Oh, wait," she hesitated, "Slade…we have to wait until tomorrow."

"Why?" He asked flatly as she jumped back out of his arms.

"Because, dear."

"Oh."


	5. Rosetta

**Rosetta**

"Monsieur, a voulez vous..."

Arella frowned and shuffled through the stack of bills she was holding, raising an eyebrow at Slade, who ran into the study, clutching his iPhone and speaking rapid-fire French. She used the letter-opener with more aggression than usual, ripping through the envelopes in her hands. Foreign languages meant that there were people who needed killing. She didn't like it.

Slade hung up the phone and absentmindedly kissed her on the cheek as he walked out of the room.

"Should I wait up for you?"

She already knew the answer.

"No. I'll be back in the morning."


	6. Love

**Love**

It had taken her three days and three tries. She shook like a wounded thing when he touched her. Arella was resilient. She could adapt, but this was her weakness. She knew he wouldn't hurt her. But her body and mind were hard to connect, and even at her most willing Arella couldn't do it.

"Do you trust me?"

She did.

"I do," she'd replied so many times before pulling the blankets around herself.

In the end the fear had drowned her, but he'd brought her back. In the end the feeling of sleeping in his arms was worth it.


	7. Pain

**Pain**

"We're monsters," she whispered, her head in her hands, "Monsters. What do we do?"

"_Nothing,"_ he said harshly, "Live. Survive. As always."

"It's not supposed to be like this," she protested, walking toward him as he tried to walk away, "We live and we die, and that's it. We'll go mad living on and on"—

"No we won't."

He jerked away from her, anger building inside him as his wife's anxiety grew in the same proportion.

"We're cursed, Slade, I"—

He pulled her close and kissed her, too hard, just to stop the cold, raw chill of his own fear.


End file.
